On Being Courteous

[kevin_standlee]

After reading this post, I feel sorry for the poor guy who wastes so much of his intellect figuring out justifications for not being courteous to other people.

As it happens, I like the self-service check-out stands in grocery stores too, but that's because they're usually faster than the attended lines, not because I want to avoid saying "thank you" to the clerk.

Comments

[debgeisler.livejournal.com]

Wow. Talk about socially dysfunctional! Now, I often ask why I'm thanking toll-takers for taking my money...but that doesn't stop me from doing it. And he's got a problem with thanking store clerks? What a pathetic waste of oxygen...

[yourbob.livejournal.com]

You say thank you so they don't spit in their hands before picking up your purchase and change to hand to you.

Sheesh.

But then I'm the guy who can't understand why waiters would rather have no job than my not tipping extravegently.

I don't use the auto-checkouts myself very often. I only end up having to have the "watcher" come over and help me anyway when I get frustrated with the things. I figure I'm less of a bother if I use the regular line.

[marahsk.livejournal.com]

I'm the guy who can't understand why waiters would rather have no job than my not tipping extravegently.

Depends on what you mean by "not extravagantly." For each of us, there's an income level that, if a job pays less, it's literally not worth our time. If, hypothetically, no one tipped at all, I can't imagine that waiters would find it worthwhile to spend their time working for tipped minimum wage. That's an extreme example, of course.

[yourbob.livejournal.com]

I don't believe any employee should tell customers they'd rather the whole business fail (which you don't own) than them taking a pay cut. Any employee that undermines the business they work for should be fired.

And if your work is only going to be acceptable if you get bonuses, then you take the chance the bonuses won't come. If it's not your employer's fault, why punish your employer by driving customers away?

[marahsk.livejournal.com]

I don't believe any employee should tell customers they'd rather the whole business fail (which you don't own) than them taking a pay cut.

You said that you don't understand why waiters would rather have no job than not have you tip extravagantly. The level of income that waiters (or anyone else) deems worth working for has absolutely nothing to do with whether or not it's appropriate for said waiters (or anyone else) to discuss their salary requirements or their feelings towards their employer with their customers.

Any employee that undermines the business they work for should be fired.

I agree with that statement, but note that it's completely unrelated to the comment I was responding to.

Or are you suggesting that refusing to take a pay cut is undermining the business?

And if your work is only going to be acceptable if you get bonuses, then you take the chance the bonuses won't come.

Tips aren't bonuses; they're more like commission or piecework. Sure, each individual tip could be $0, insanely generous, or anywhere in between. But waiters work for as little as $2.13 an hour because there is a reasonable expectation that most people will tip. If everyone chose not to tip (which is certainly their right), I suspect that most waiters would indeed decide that no job was preferable to working for $2.13 an hour.

If it's not your employer's fault, why punish your employer by driving customers away?

Please tell me how we got from waiters deciding that they'd rather have no job to waiters actively driving customers away.

[howeird]

Right idea, wrong reason. I rarely use the self-checkouts because it robs people of jobs who need them the most. And if a store wants me to be their cashier, they can pay me.

[dd-b.livejournal.com]

They are, by speeding me out the door with my purchases.

[redneckotaku.livejournal.com]

I use Self checkouts because I don't like long lines. I usually don't have more than five items at Wal-Mart.

[tkunsman.livejournal.com]

I do not use self-checkouts, as previously mentioned, it takes away a job from someone who can use that job.

[redneckotaku.livejournal.com]

I understand your viewpoint. Most of the time I would rather help myself get out of Wal-Mart than wait in line. I am usually getting something for work on the way to work, so it makes time as valuable as money. When I have time, I wait for a person also.